News Analysis India

Tag: Dev Darshan Yatra

  • In show of strength, Vasundhara Raje reminds Rajasthan BJP of her mother’s role

    Express News Service
    JAIPUR: Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje began her religious visit with a massive ‘show of strength’ on Sunday amid the ongoing tussle in the Rajasthan BJP.

    Soon after arriving by helicopter at ‘Pooncchri Ka Lautha’ in Bharatpur, Vasundhara addressed the public which had come in large numbers to welcome her and reminded the gathering (and the BJP high command) about her family’s contribution to the party.

    As she started her two-day ‘Dev Darshan Yatra’, Raje said, “Rajmata Vijaya Raje Scindia played an important role in not letting the BJP’s ‘lotus flower’ wilt.  She was always full of nationalism and the BJP in every pore of her body. And I am the daughter of the same mother.”

    Though her words can be interpreted in many ways, most political experts see them as Raje’s message to both – her critics and the party high command – that she cannot be forgotten or side-lined in the party.

    The Yatra, which has been timed to coincide with Raje’s birthday on March 8, attracted over 2 dozen sitting BJP MLAs, a few MPs, 70 former MLAs and numerous office bearers of her faction who were all present with the former Chief Minister on Sunday.

    In addition, while addressing the gathering, Raje, also attacked the Gehlot government. She said that many schemes were launched during her tenure as CM for the development of the state but today the government has closed all of them. “We all have to work together to root out Ashok Gehlot’s Congress government. With the name of Gir-raj Maharaj, all of us will pray for the resumed development of Rajasthan,” she remarked.

    With this, Raje has clearly indicated that she has no plan of shifting to the national stage as the party high command reportedly wants her to. Instead, Raje has sent out a clear message that Rajasthan will remain her main focus – no matter what her critics in the state unit might do or say.

    For the past several months, Raje has been locked in a major fight with state BJP President Satish Poonia from the RSS lobby in the party. Given this tussle, BJP national president JP Nadda who had visited Jaipur on Tuesday had even got Raje and Poonia to join and raise hands together in order to bridge the growing rift. Nadda had stressed on the need for unity in the party ahead of the state assembly bypolls.

    Through the Dev Darshan Yatra, Raje and her supporters also want to send out a message to her critics that she is the most popular leader in the BJP. For weeks, Raje loyalists have claimed that the party has sidelined her and have been openly demanding that she should be the CM face in the 2023 Assembly elections.

    On the second day of her Yatra, loyalists plan to celebrate Raje’s birthday as a ‘Swabhiman Diwas’ or a Self-Respect Day as a means to revive Raje’s political fortunes. Besides visiting several temples, Raje and all leaders and workers of the party supporting her will celebrate her 69th birthday in a grand style in her home district of Dholpur.

  • Satish Poonia, Vasundhara Raje indulge in yatra politics amid rift

    Express News Service
    JAIPUR : BJP president JP Nadda’s appeal for unity appears to have failed to end the infighting in Rajasthan BJP. Former chief minister Vasundhara Raje will begin a two-day Dev Darshan Yatra from Sunday, which is timed to coincide with her birthday on March 8 and is set to be a show of strength.

    Raje will visit several temples in Bharatpur and Dholpur districts in east Rajasthan. While there will be no political rallies during Raje’s yatra, her loyalists are sparing no effort in getting supporters and people to gather in huge numbers and welcome Raje at every venue she visits. The aim is clearly to project her popularity.

    To counter Raje, her arch rival and BJP state unit chief Satish Poonia will also be on a three-day trip of south Rajasthan, beginning Saturday. During the trip, he plans to visit the famous Tripura Sundari temple, where he will seek blessings for the upcoming Assembly bypolls, which are crucial for his future. In addition, the party has launched a week-long ‘halla bol’ campaign across the state from March 6 to 14. It’s apparently aimed at exposing the Congress government’s misdeeds, though political observers see it as an attempt to ensure that not too many workers flock to Raje’s yatra.

    Miffed at her alleged sidelining in the party, Raje loyalists have been demanding that she should be the party’s CM face in 2023. They are planning to celebrate her birthday as ‘Swabhiman Diwas’.Nadda, who had visited Jaipur on Tuesday, had got Raje and Poonia to join and raise hands together in order to bridge the growing rift in the state unit. But the two camps have instead upped the ante.